Thursday, February 18, 2010

Give generously...and meaningfully!

We all know about the disaster that took place in Haiti in January when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country killing 200,000 people and rendering at least a million people homeless. I must really commend the people that are on the ground in Haiti right now helping out with reconstruction, tending to the injured and needy etc. I firmly believe in humanity and that people come through for you in the time of need. In cases like the Haiti disaster, nuances of human empathy and generosity were clearly evident with online and offline NGOs reporting a record a number of donations worldwide.

Of course, for every right, there is a wrong as I like to remind people some times. In this case, there are a certain bunch of people who exploit the situation to make the most of it. My gripe in Kuwait is that although many organizations across the country have volunteered to help the Haitians by collection/donation drives etc, it appears that most of the organizations are doing this solely because it is the "in" thing to do. They're doing it because George Clooney and his friends are doing it and they think it's cool if Hollywood stars do it. They’re doing it because corporate social responsibility is a big thing nowadays especially among the corporate elite and it is compulsory for large companies to adopt CSR practices.

The point I am trying to make is; it's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you think of petty gain. What's more important is that the people who really need the money and aid get it before it is too late.

So I say to all you people who want to have a fancy looking collection box outside your reception areas, do not do it because it may impress visitors to your company; do it because someone, somewhere needs your help! Make sure you announce the drive within the company and your network of contacts. Make sure someone monitors what is collected and finally make sure that the collections no matter how large or meager are sent to the NGO you’re dealing with.

After all, what good is the effort if the end benefactors don’t benefit?

7 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Nice to see u back dude as a regular dude.Looks like u r back with a vengence after all :)

I agree with u on why most companies in q8 are doing it.Only becoz they feel the need 2 be like international firms who r doing the same thing.What they dont realise is the companies in US and UK do it becoz they feel compassionate for the people of haiti and other nations who get affected by similar natural disasters.

Nice to see u back dude as a regular dude.Looks like u r back with a vengence after all :)

I agree with u on why most companies in q8 are doing it.Only becoz they feel the need 2 be like international firms who r doing the same thing.What they dont realise is the companies in US and UK do it becoz they feel compassionate for the people of haiti and other nations who get affected by similar natural disasters.

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up! And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! :)

Yo man, this is a very interesting post. I personally agree with you on this. I work for one of the largest banks in the midle east. We are known for our social initiatievs but for some reason I dont see anyone doing much for the Haiti cause which IMHO is definitely in need of our suport and contributions. I am glad someone is policing the people that are supposedly collecting funds for these victims but in reality are just doing their job by filling in their quality manual or register with the required entries to get whatever certification they apply for.

With regards to your reply, my aim isn't to police a company's CSR policies to ensure it is following them (I think I'll need to get paid for that) but to create awareness for those projects that the companies pledge support to.

I am sure countries in the western world have specific policies and procedures to safeguard the interests of all involved. Perhaps we in the Middle East need to adopt something similar so that the purpose of the whole exercise is achieved.

About Me

I'm a marketing professional heading a start-up marketing consulting company in Kuwait. I'm also a freelance writer. Describing myself more than this is a little sad I think. I'd rather have other people describe me instead.